Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-17
HAZING AND IT'S REMEDY.
The Evil, Being Traditional and Deep
Seated, Requires Heroic Treatment.

From the Forum for December.
The evil Is deep-seated and has its tap-roOt in
the past. 1t is traditional. The older colleges, II
they are blessed, are also cursed with traditions
And college traditions are easily born and die
hard. These disorderly tendencies are not only
inherited from the past in this country, but from
the mother country also. The extent of their sur
vival there may be seen In the hazings. nghtings,
and midnight maraudings with which atom Brown
at Rugby" is Overweighed. They have survived,
with additions, in American colleges. Members
OF advanced classes promptly instruct the younger
classes what is always done, and what, therefore,
they are bound to do The newer men aspire 10 be
'Sfnart" as their predecessors, and so they must
have hazing, rushes, ''bOOdy Monday" freshman
beer, reciprocal Mornings, small maraudingS and
what-not The effect OF these foolish traditions at
particular stage OF the college course, In the
sudden but transient transformation OF consider
able number OF we'll minded and well-nannered
young men, is something as unfaing as II is sur
prisng and otherwise unaccOuntable
In other communities IL Is the acknowledged
rule that the whole population Is banded together
to detect and punish wrongdoing. In college COM
munities the case Is reversed; the combination Is
TO prevent detection. IL is seldom the case that
one student will give Information concerning an
other that might lead even 10 his reformation.
And when IL becomes apparently a question OF
penalty, not only VIII young men OF no principle
disregard the truth. but men Of high principle will
generally leave college sooner than aid in re thy
ing the wrong. In one case, where IL became alike
necessary for the safety OF father and son that the
tOxicatiOn into which the son mad fallen, ne went
away convinced Of gross injustice done by the
faculty TO the young man, because he was In
formed by CLASSMATES that the statements were
untrue. 1t should be said. however that one of
these classmates, after graduation, had the man
hood TO come to college officer and say, 81 lied TO
Mr.. -" In another instance, a case Of assault
upon professors house, q whole class, including,
with one exception, all its best men, were induced
to agree beforehand that they would not answer
any question as TO their own whereabouts at a
given time-though many Of them were quietly
studying in their roOms-lest the circle OF inquiry
should thus be narrowed toward the offenders;
and they submitted to suspension rather than an
Swer the question. Illustrated facts OF this kind
might be accumulated to any extent. But 1t Is
not necessary. Every college man can bear wit
ness to the general state OF the case.
After young men have been fully and fairly
warned that they will be held amenable TO the law
OF the land, the application OF the law is not to be
withhOlden. This remedy has sometimes been APP
piled with excellent effect In one the victim
waited till tormentOrs disclosed themselves and
brought them before magistrate. one OF them
proved to be the son OF the chief justice OF the
In another college two young men, under arrest
ance again.
In a third institution certain college rioters,
sons Of wealthy parents, lay In the lookup while
their class was graduating. These are hard rem
edies, to the last degree undesirable, but the
abuses are still more undesirable and IL all other
educational influences prove Intellectual, then the
law must be the educator. The application Of the
remedy in few Instances would render further
application unnecessary.